INTELLIscribe - What's New in Remote Printing

Current version 4.1, 10/12/2010

Adds support for 64-bit Windows

The INTELLIscribe® monitor now supports 64-bit Windows platforms. We ship both 64 and 32-bit software in the package and install the correct files without user intervention.

Other changes include:

  • the job's "title" attribute is now the file name rather than the temporary storage file path
  • a problem with a thread that could hang has been fixed; this caused the service not to shut down reliably

Version 4.0, released 03/08/07

Support for Microsoft® Windows® Vista

  • INTELLIscribe now installs on Windows 2000, Windows 2000 Server, Windows XP, Windows 2003 Server, and Windows Vista.
  • INTELLIscribe is no longer supported on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, and Windows NT.
  • Works in a Cluster Environment (Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Windows 2003 Enterprise Server).
  • INTELLIscribe is not "cluster aware" but is supported in cluster environments. This requires a license of INTELLIscribe for each "node" in a cluster.
  • INTELLIscribe now bundles the Shared Print Activator at one low price.

Version 3.2.0.60, released 05/24/06

New Features

  • A new column has been added to the Print Jobs table to display which user printed the job.
  • Timeout support has been added to close a connection after a specified period of inactivity. This period is configurable in the Virtual Printer Port Wizard.

Resolved Issues

  • The INTELLIscribe user interface has been updated to be more responsive to large sets of data.
  • The service has been updated to resolve issues with destinations stuck in a busy state, preventing jobs from printing.

Version 3.2.0.42, released 11/09/05

Resolved Issue

  • In certain situations, the complete print job failed to print successfully. This issue was rare but has now been resolved.

Minor Change

  • The LPD Port Restriction option default has been changed from Standard to Relaxed. This will help eliminate Port in Use errors in enterprise print environments where high throughput is critical.

Version 3.2.0.36, released 06/15/05

New Features

  • Print jobs can be dragged from one INTELLIscribe virtual printer port to another virtual printer port. This allows you to easily send a print job that has already been scheduled for one port to another port for printing.
  • Print jobs can be dragged from INTELLIscribe to other applications that support drag and drop (e.g., Notepad, Outlook, and so on). For example, dragging a print job to an editor allows you to view the print job file; dragging to an Outlook email attaches the print job to the email. This feature is helpful for troubleshooting.
  • You can specify how many days to store log files before removing them.
  • You can specify the directory where INTELLIscribe's Spool directory is located. The Spool directory is where INTELLIscribe archives print jobs. This feature provides better utilization of disk space.
  • You can specify the directory where INTELLIscribe's log files are stored. This feature provides better utilization of disk space.
  • You have the option to turn off the splash screen on startup.

Resolved Issues

  • Log messages are now being displayed correctly; previously, some were not displayed properly.
  • Various issues have been resolved when dealing with network shares.
  • INTELLIscribe has better recovery from jobs canceled at the printer; INTELLIscribe will not attempt to reprint jobs.
  • Using JetDirect, INTELLIscribe recovers, and the printer does not stay in a Busy state after a print job times out.

Version 3.1.1.32, released 10/06/04

  • Print jobs can be reprinted to a destination chosen by the user. This allows failed print jobs to be reprinted to only the destinations that failed or printed again to a destination of choice.
  • An option has been added that allows users and administrators to specify the number of times a print job is retried before it fails.
  • Support for the Service Location Protocol (SLP) offers an easier setup. SLP printers are automatically recognized and available for printing within seconds. Users no longer need to know the host names of network printers.
  • Testing has shown that INTELLIscribe transmits information much faster than before!
  • If a destination was in an unknown state, jobs sent to it were getting "stuck" in a "submitted" state and did not print. This has now been resolved.
  • Sometimes when printing, a destination would get "stuck" in a busy state before the print job would start printing. The jobs are no longer getting stuck but print right away.
  • Broadcast printing to LPR/LPD destinations using the standard or strict "Port Restriction" setting would sometimes fail when attempting to bind to a source port.
  • Occasionally, when a user without "Administrator" privileges attempted to print, an error was displayed. On other occasions, the print job would not be added to INTELLIscribe.
  • Download the latest version of INTELLIscribe.

Version 3.1.0.31, released 6/10/04

  • Resolved an issue on Windows® Server 2003 where the service could not be registered.
  • On Windows NT 4.0, a minor issue during deinstallation has been resolved.
  • INTELLIscribe can now print files larger than 4GB.

Version 3.0.0.14, released 6/03/03

Core

  • Runs as a service on Windows NT/2000/XP platforms.
  • Export feature now saves configurations in XML.
  • Import feature now supports XML and configuration files from previous versions.
  • Configuration is stored globally rather than requiring a separate configuration for each user.
  • Job Deletion feature can now remove failed jobs.
  • Added two new policies to improve destination management: Round Robin and Print Destination Balancing.
  • Scheduling of print jobs is faster and more efficient.
  • TCP/IP transport now utilizes new features of WinSock 2 for greater efficiency.
  • Events are now stored in standard CSV files. Log can easily be viewed and sorted in applications supporting this format.
  • Windows can print simultaneously to multiple Virtual Printer Ports, improving speed and throughput.
  • Better integration with the Windows Print Manager.

User Interface

  • New style menus and toolbars.
  • Log viewer provided for troubleshooting print jobs and destinations.
  • Destination Window was added to allow users to update, view, and query information about the destinations.
  • Enhanced the Virtual Printer Port Wizard.
  • Context-sensitive help was added, allowing users to easily find a desired topic.

Brooks License Manager

  • License Wizard enhancements ease administering licenses.
  • Supports advanced products and features.
  • Enhanced support for license reinstallation.
  • Web unlock can connect through a proxy server/firewall.

Issues

  • Can print files larger than 2 GB, previously, an error was reported.
  • Can print data from Lotus Notes even when attachments are included.
  • Eliminated all ISTMan.exe errors.
  • Jobs no longer get "stuck"; they finish printing or fail.
  • The broadcast feature now works to more destinations, previously, more than 40 or 50 destinations result in errors.
  • Multiple jobs can now be properly selected, previously, the entire print job view was refreshed, canceling out the selection.

Version 2.0.2.5

New Features

  1. INTELLIscribe supports Windows operating systems running Multiple Byte Character Sets (MBCS), such as Chinese and Japanese.
  2. INTELLIscribe now runs on all Windows platforms, including Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP.
  3. Significant enhancements to overall reliability and scheduling have been incorporated throughout INTELLIscribe.
  4. The "LPD Queue Name" parameter in the Virtual Printer Port wizard is now checked for validity. This is a required parameter and it cannot contain spaces according to the RFC 1179 specifications.
  5. INTELLIscribe now has added functionality to send data on non-standard source ports. The RFC 1179 specifications state only ports 721-731 should be used. Most LPD print servers receive data on any source port.
  6. INTELLIscribe can now print on any port number with either the LPR/LPD or JetDirect protocols. This should allow any JetDirect box to be used, even ones with multiple ports.
  7. The port monitor has been completely rewritten and greatly improves performance. Jobs that may have been "stuck" in a submitted state in previous versions should now have no trouble completing.
  8. A reboot is no longer required after installation except in certain circumstances.
  9. During deinstallation, all printers using the INTELLIscribe virtual port were reset to use port LPT1. This ensures that INTELLIscribe is completely removed from the system. Previous side effects during deinstallation have been eliminated.
  10. The user interface for INTELLIscribe has been enhanced with new icons and all default behaviors are now displayed properly.
  11. Slight TCP/IP modifications have been made to ensure compatibility with specific LPD print servers such as System V Unix platforms.

User Interface Changes

  1. "Data File Ack" and "Control File ACK" parameters now display the default settings, which are "yes" on both counts.
  2. The "LPD Queue Name" parameter is required. This parameter is now validated to ensure a proper queue name is entered.
  3. The "Import Configuration" function in the "File" menu now works properly.
  4. The ability to send data on non-standard source ports is controlled in the "Virtual Printer Port" wizard.
  5. The two wizards now run automatically during startup when there are no virtual printer ports configured.